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"Our two companies have demonstrated their long-standing commitment toadvancing research in probiotics. This field continues to be one of the mostpromising for more discoveries that will benefit human health, which is whyDanone and Yakult decided in 2004 to join forces and further encourage moreresearch in a larger number of countries," said Sven Thormahlen, ExecutiveVice President R&D, Danone Research.
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With this new initiative, "we will continue to contribute to bridging gapsin the field of probiotics and the gut" said Gerard Denariaz, Director ofDanone's Probiotic Research.
"Emerging science on the regular consumption of probiotic-containingproducts shows how these products can help to regulate the intestinalecosystem and benefit health. These grants will enable young investigatorswho are senior fellows, or junior faculty to further explore the healthbenefits of probiotics. These grants will also further advance understandingabout the relationship between probiotics and the intestinal flora and areanticipated to expand the already stable research platform," says Mr. RyujiChino, Senior Managing Director, Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd.
The grants will provide opportunity for researchers in the fields ofgastroenterology, immunology, genetics, molecular biology, cell biology,microbiology, and infectious disease to foster innovative ideas, sustainindependence, and advance science.
Each Young Investigator Grant for Probiotic Research will provide $50,000over one year. Research applications should contribute to knowledge aboutgut microbiota or the role of intestinal flora in health and disease.
The supporters of the grant, Groupe DANONE and Yakult Honsha, Ltd., arethe leading global companies researching probiotics with academic approaches.
Probiotics are live cultures that, when consumed in sufficient quantities,can provide health benefits to an individual. Probiotics can help maintainthe digestive system by providing a regular source of "friendly" bacteria tothe intestinal tract, helping to improve the functioning of the intestinalmicroflora.
Application procedures and additional details on the Young InvestigatorGrant for Probiotics Research program can be found atwww.probioticsresearch.com.
The Global Probiotics Council (GPC) is a committee established in 2004 byGroupe DANONE and Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd. The role of the GPC is to promoteand/or advance probiotics in the world, through means such as:
The US has been the first country where the GPC has created a ScientificBoard. The GPC also regularly carries out activities to raise public awareness.For more information, please visit www.probioticsresearch.com.
DANONE is the world's leading producer of yogurt products, sold under theDANNON and DANONE brand names. Since its foundation, DANONE has built itsbusiness on product offerings, which combine health benefits and taste. DANONERESEARCH is the organization responsible for all DANONE R&D activities (900employees worldwide). Its mission is to formulate DANONE products with healthbenefits (mainly through probiotics) and the scientific evidence to supportthe claims for these products. It also studies the effects of food on healthand aims to continuously improve the nutritional profile of DANONE productsworldwide. Probiotic research is a key expertise of DANONE RESEARCH. Over thepast 90 years, DANONE has built the world's most comprehensive collection oflactic bacteria
